Display apparatus

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus includes a display module displaying an image, a rear structure supporting the display module, a vibration generating device vibrating the display module, and a stiff member disposed on a rear surface of the display module. Accordingly, a sound pressure level corresponding to a high frequency domain is prevented from being reduced, thereby enhancing the quality of a sound output to a region in front of a display panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/107,021 filed on Aug. 21, 2018, which claims thebenefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0154631 filed onNov. 20, 2017, both which are hereby incorporated by reference as iffully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a display apparatus.

Discussion of the Related Art

Recently, as society advances to the information-oriented society, thefield of display apparatuses for visually displaying an electricalinformation signal has rapidly advanced. Consequently, various displayapparatuses having excellent performances such as thinness, lightness,and low power consumption are being developed. Examples of the displayapparatuses may include liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatuses, fieldemission display (FED) apparatuses, organic light emitting displayapparatuses, etc.

Generally, display apparatuses display an image on a display panel, buta separate speaker should be installed for providing a sound. In a casewhere a speaker is installed in a display apparatus, a travelingdirection of a sound output through the speaker is a direction toward aside end or an upper/lower end of the display panel, instead of a frontsurface or a rear surface of the display panel, and thus, the sound doesnot travel in a direction toward a viewer who is watching an image infront of the display panel, whereby an immersiveness of the viewerwatching the image is hindered.

Moreover, in a case where a speaker included in a set device such astelevisions (TVs) is provided, the speaker occupies a certain space, anddue to this, the design and space disposition of the set device arelimited. In order to solve such a problem, conventional displayapparatuses may vibrate a display panel to output a sound to a region infront of the display panel. However, a vibration transfer ability of thedisplay panel is reduced in a high frequency domain, causing thereduction in clearness of a sound.

Moreover, since a vibration transfer ability of a display panel isreduced, a sound pressure level is reduced, and in this case, byincreasing an applied voltage so as to compensate for the loss of thesound pressure level, power consumption increases. In order to solvesuch a problem, it is required to develop display apparatuses whichenable a vibration transfer ability of a display panel to be enhanced inthe high frequency domain.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the inventors have recognized the above-described problemsand have made various experiments so that when watching an image infront of a display panel, a traveling direction of a sound becomes adirection toward a front surface of the display panel, and thus, soundquality is enhanced. Through the various experiments, the inventors haveimplemented a display apparatus having a new structure, which outputs asound having a traveling direction that is a direction toward a frontsurface of a display panel, thereby enhancing sound quality.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to adisplay apparatus that substantially obviates one or more problems dueto limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a display apparatus inwhich a stiff member is disposed on a rear surface of a display moduleacting as a vibration plate to complement a stiffness of the displaymodule, thereby improving an electromagnetic force performance of avibration generating device.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a displayapparatus in which a stiff member is disposed in a rear edge of adisplay module to minimize an increase in mass of the display moduleacting as a vibration plate and complement a stiffness of the displaymodule, thereby improving an electromagnetic force performance of avibration generating device to enhance a vibration transfercharacteristic of the display apparatus.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a displayapparatus in which a stiffness of a display module is complemented byusing a stiff member, and thus, an electromagnetic force performance ofa vibration generating device is improved, thereby preventing areduction in a sound pressure level corresponding to a high frequencydomain to enhance the quality of a sound output to a region in front ofthe display module.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a displayapparatus that includes a stiff member arranged in a long side directionof a display module, and thus, prevents a sound pressure levelcorresponding to a high frequency domain from being reduced, therebyenhancing flatness of a sound pressure level corresponding to a wholefrequency domain and enhancing clarity of a sound.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a displayapparatus that prevents a sound pressure level corresponding to a highfrequency domain from being reduced, thereby minimizing the loss ofconsumption power.

The objects of the present disclosure are not limited to the aforesaid,but other objects not described herein will be clearly understood bythose skilled in the art from descriptions below.

Additional features and aspects will be set forth in the descriptionthat follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or maybe learned by practice of the inventive concepts provided herein. Otherfeatures and aspects of the inventive concepts may be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription, or derivable therefrom, and the claims hereof as well asthe appended drawings.

To achieve these and other aspects of the inventive concepts, asembodied and broadly described herein, a display apparatus comprises adisplay module displaying an image, a rear structure supporting thedisplay module, a vibration generating device vibrating the displaymodule, and a stiff member disposed on a rear surface of the displaymodule.

Details of other embodiments are included in the detailed descriptionand the drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the inventive concepts asclaimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure andtogether with the description serve to explain various principles of thedisclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display apparatus according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views taken along line I-I′ of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a stiffmember in the display apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a secondembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a stiffmember in the display apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a thirdembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a stiffmember in the display apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a fourthembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views taken along line of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views illustrating a configuration ofa stiff member in the display apparatus of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a vibration displacementbased on a stiffness of a display module in a display apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an increase in a sound pressure levelcorresponding to a high frequency domain in a display apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure with respect to therelated art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and implementationmethods thereof will be clarified through following embodimentsdescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The presentdisclosure may, however, be embodied in different forms and should notbe construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosureto those skilled in the art. Further, the present disclosure is onlydefined by scopes of claims.

A shape, a size, a ratio, an angle, and a number disclosed in thedrawings for describing embodiments of the present disclosure are merelyan example, and thus, the present disclosure is not limited to theillustrated details. Like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout. In the following description, when the detailed descriptionof the relevant known function or configuration is determined tounnecessarily obscure the important point of the present disclosure, thedetailed description will be omitted. In a case where ‘comprise’,‘have’, and ‘include’ described in the present specification are used,another part may be added unless ‘only˜’ is used. The terms of asingular form may include plural forms unless referred to the contrary.

In construing an element, the element is construed as including an errorrange although there is no explicit description.

In describing a position relationship, for example, when a positionrelation between two parts is described as ‘on˜’, ‘over˜’, ‘under˜’, and‘next˜’, one or more other parts may be disposed between the two partsunless ‘just’ or ‘direct’ is used.

In describing a time relationship, for example, when the temporal orderis described as ‘after˜’, ‘subsequent˜’, ‘next˜’, and ‘before˜’, a casewhich is not continuous may be included unless ‘just’ or ‘direct’ isused.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element from another. For example, a first element could be termed asecond element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In describing elements of the present disclosure, the terms “first”,“second”, etc. may be used. The terms are merely for differentiating oneelement from another element, and the essence, sequence, order, ornumber of a corresponding element should not be limited by the terms. Itwill be understood that when an element or layer is described as being“connected”, “coupled”, or “adhered” to another element or layer, theelement or layer can be directly connected or adhered to the otherelement or layer, but the other element or layer can be “disposed”between elements or layers, or elements or layers can be “connected”,“coupled”, or “adhered” to each other through the other element orlayer.

In the present disclosure, examples of a display apparatus may include anarrow-sense display apparatus such as an organic light emitting display(OLED) module or a liquid crystal module (LCM) including a display paneland a driver for driving the display panel. Also, examples of thedisplay apparatus may include a set device (or a set apparatus) or a setelectronic device such as a notebook computer, a TV, a computer monitor,an equipment apparatus including an automotive apparatus or another typeapparatuses for vehicles, or a mobile electronic device such as asmartphone or an electronic pad, which is a complete product (or a finalproduct) including an LCM or an OLED module.

Therefore, in the present disclosure, examples of the display apparatusmay include a narrow-sense display apparatus itself, such as an LCM oran OLED module, and a set device which is a final consumer device or anapplication product including the LCM or the OLED module.

Depending on the case, an LCM or an OLED module including a displaypanel and a driver may be referred to as a narrow-sense displayapparatus, and an electronic device which is a final product includingan LCM or an OLED module may be referred to as a set device. Forexample, the narrow-sense display apparatus may include a display panel,such as an LCD or an OLED, and a source printed circuit board (PCB)which is a controller for driving the display panel. The set device mayfurther include a set PCB which is a set controller electricallyconnected to the source PCB to overall control the set device.

A display panel applied to the present embodiment may use all types ofdisplay panels such as a liquid crystal display panel, an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display panel, and an electroluminescent displaypanel, but is not limited to a specific display panel which is vibratedby a sound generating device according to the present embodiment tooutput a sound. Also, a shape or a size of a display panel applied to adisplay apparatus according to the present embodiment is not limited.

For example, if the display panel is the liquid crystal display panel,the display panel may include a plurality of gate lines, a plurality ofdata lines, and a plurality of pixels respectively provided in aplurality of pixel areas defined by intersections of the gate lines andthe data lines. Also, the display panel may include an array substrateincluding a thin film transistor (TFT) which is a switching element foradjusting a light transmittance of each of the plurality of pixels, anupper substrate including a color filter and/or a black matrix, and aliquid crystal layer between the array substrate and the uppersubstrate.

Moreover, if the display panel is the organic light emitting displaypanel, the display panel may include a plurality of gate lines, aplurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels respectively providedin a plurality of pixel areas defined by intersections of the gate linesand the data lines. Also, the display panel may include an arraysubstrate including a TFT which is an element for selectively applying avoltage to each of the pixels, an organic light emitting device layer onthe array substrate, and an encapsulation substrate disposed on thearray substrate to cover the organic light emitting device layer. Theencapsulation substrate may protect the TFT and the organic lightemitting device layer from an external impact and may prevent water oroxygen from penetrating into the organic light emitting device layer.Also, a layer provided on the array substrate may include an inorganiclight emitting layer (for example, a nano-sized material layer, aquantum dot, or the like).

Moreover, the display panel may further include a backing such as ametal plate attached on the display panel. However, the presentembodiment is not limited to the metal plate, and the display panel mayinclude another structure.

Features of various embodiments of the present disclosure may bepartially or overall coupled to or combined with each other, and may bevariously inter-operated with each other and driven technically as thoseskilled in the art can sufficiently understand. The embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be carried out independently from each other, ormay be carried out together in co-dependent relationship.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display apparatus according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a rear view of adisplay apparatus according 10 to a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views taken along lineI-I′ of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating aconfiguration of a stiff member in the display apparatus 10 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the display apparatus 10 may include adisplay module 100, a vibration generating device 200, a rear structure300, a stiff member 400, and an adhesive member 500.

The display module 100 may include a display panel 110 and a backlightunit 120.

The display panel 110 may display an image and may be implemented as alltypes of display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel, anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel, an electroluminescentdisplay panel, etc.

The display panel 110 may include a front surface, which displays animage, and a rear surface onto which light is irradiated from thebacklight unit 120. According to an embodiment, the display panel 110may be a liquid crystal display panel and may display an image by usingthe light irradiated from the backlight unit 120.

The display module 100 may further include an optical sheet part 112disposed on the rear surface of the display panel 110. The optical sheetpart 112 may be attached on the rear surface of the display panel 110and may be spaced apart from the front surface of the backlight unit120. The optical sheet part 112 may be disposed on the rear surface ofthe display panel 110 to enhance a luminance characteristic of lightemitted from the backlight unit 120. According to an embodiment, theoptical sheet part 112 may be a complex optical sheet which has afunction of diffusing light incident thereon and a function ofcollecting the diffused light.

The backlight unit 120 may be disposed on and spaced apart from the rearsurface of the display panel 110 with respect to a thickness directionof the display panel 110 and may irradiate the light onto the rearsurface of the display panel 110. Also, the backlight unit 120 may bedisposed on and spaced apart from a front surface of the rear structure300 with respect to the thickness direction of the display panel 110.For example, a front surface of the backlight unit 120 may face the rearsurface of the display panel 110, and a rear surface of the backlightunit 120 may face the front surface of the rear structure 300.

According to an embodiment, the backlight unit 120 may receive avibration of the vibration generating device 200 and may transfer thevibration to the display panel 110. For example, the vibrationgenerating device 200 may vibrate in contact with a portion of the rearsurface of the backlight unit 120 to vibrate a whole surface of thebacklight unit 120. The vibration of the backlight unit 120 may betransferred to the display panel 110 through a module adhesive member130 and a gap space 130S between the display panel 110 and the backlightunit 120.

The backlight unit 120 may include a light guide plate 121 and areflective sheet 123.

The light guide plate 121 may be disposed on a front surface of thereflective sheet 124 to configure the front surface of the backlightunit 120. In detail, the light guide plate 121 may include a lightincident surface and may be disposed on and spaced apart from the rearsurface of the display panel 110. The light guide plate 121 may change atraveling direction of light, which is incident through the lightincident surface, to a direction toward the display panel 110. Accordingto an embodiment, the light guide plate 121 may include alight-transmitting plastic, a glass material, and/or the like. Forexample, the light guide plate 121 may include sapphire glass, but maybe implemented with glass for guiding light without being limitedthereto.

The reflective sheet 123 may configure the rear surface of the backlightunit 120 and may be connected to the vibration generating device 200. Indetail, the reflective sheet 123 may support the light guide plate 121disposed on a front surface thereof and may reflect light incident fromthe light guide plate 121. Therefore, the reflective sheet 123 preventsthe light incident from the light guide plate 121 from being transferredto a region behind the backlight unit 120 and maintains a uniformity oflight transferred to a region in front of the backlight unit 120.

The display module 100 may further include the module adhesive member130. In detail, the module adhesive member 130 may be disposed between afront edge of the backlight unit 120 and a rear edge of the displaypanel 110. The module adhesive member 130 may be coupled to each of thebacklight unit 120 and the display panel 110 and may allow the displaypanel 110 to be spaced apart from the backlight unit 120. For example,the module adhesive member 130 may provide the gap space 130S betweenthe rear surface of the display panel 110 and the front surface of thebacklight unit 120. The backlight unit 120 may receive a vibrationtransferred from the vibration generating device 200, and the displaypanel 110 may receive the vibration from the backlight unit 120 by usinga sound pressure of the gap space 130S. Also, the gap space 130Sprovided between the display panel 110 and the backlight unit 120prevents the light of the backlight unit 120 from non-uniformlyconcentrating on a specific position, thereby enhancing a lightluminance uniformity of the display apparatus 10.

According to an embodiment, the module adhesive member 130 may have asealing structure having a four-side-sealed type or a closed loop type.The module adhesive member 130 may surround the gap space 130S providedbetween the display panel 110 and the backlight unit 120 and may allow asound pressure generated from the backlight unit 120 to be transferredto the display panel 110. The module adhesive member 130 may directlytransfer a vibration of the backlight unit 120 to the display panel 110.

For example, the module adhesive member 130 may include an acryl-basedmaterial or a urethane-based material. Here, the module adhesive member130 may include the acryl-based material which has a relatively betteradhesive force and relatively higher hardness than the urethane-basedmaterial, in order for the vibration of the backlight unit 120 to betransferred to the display panel 110. In this case, the module adhesivemember 130 may include a foam pad including the acryl-based material andan adhesive layer provided on each of a front surface and a rear surfaceof the foam pad.

As another example, the urethane-based material has a light leakageprevention characteristic which is relatively better than theacryl-based material, and thus, considering prevention of light leakage,the module adhesive member 130 may include the urethane-based material.

The vibration generating device 200 may be disposed on a rear surface ofthe display module 100 to vibrate the display module 100. In detail, thevibration generating device 200 may be fixed to the rear structure 300and may vibrate the display panel 110 through the backlight unit 120 tooutput a sound to a region in front of the display panel 110. Forexample, the vibration generating device 200 may generate the sound byusing the display panel 110, vibrating along with the vibration of thebacklight unit 120, as a vibration plate.

The vibration generating device 200 may pass through the rear structure300 and may contact the rear surface of the backlight unit 120, andthus, may directly vibrate the backlight unit 120. According to anembodiment, an upper portion of the vibration generating device 200 maybe inserted into a through hole 310 provided in the rear structure 300and may be connected to the rear surface of the backlight unit 120, anda lower portion of the vibration generating device 200 may contact andmay be fixed to the rear surface of the rear structure 300. Therefore,by using the rear structure 300 as a supporter, the vibration generatingdevice 200 may vibrate according to a vibration signal corresponding toa sound signal associated with an image to vibrate the backlight unit120, and the display panel 110 may receive the vibration of thebacklight unit 120 to output a sound to a region in front of the displaypanel 110. Therefore, by using the display panel 110 vibrated based onthe vibration of the backlight unit 120 as a vibration plate of a sounddevice, the display apparatus 10 may output a sound to a region in frontof the display panel 110 instead of a region behind and under thedisplay panel 110, and thus, may match a position of an image displayedby the display apparatus 10 with a position of a sound generated by thedisplay apparatus 10, thereby enhancing an immersiveness of a viewer whois watching the image displayed by the display apparatus 10.

According to an embodiment, the vibration generating device 200 mayinclude first and second sound generating modules 210 and 220 whichvibrate different regions of the display panel 110. In detail, the firstand second sound generating modules 210 and 220 may be fixed through therear structure 300 and may be spaced apart from each other. For example,the display panel 110 may include a left region and a right region, thefirst sound generating module 210 may overlap the left region of thedisplay panel 110, and the second sound generating module 220 mayoverlap the right region of the display panel 110. Therefore, the firstsound generating device 210 may be disposed on a left side of the rearsurface of the backlight unit 120 to vibrate the left region of thedisplay panel 110, and the second sound generating device 220 may bedisposed on a right side of the rear surface of the backlight unit 120to vibrate the right region of the display panel 110. The first andsecond sound generating modules 210 and 220 may receive differentvibration signals and may be independently driven. For example, thefirst sound generating module 210 may generate a sound by using, as avibration plate, the left region of the display panel 110 vibrated basedon the vibration of the backlight unit 120, and the second soundgenerating module 220 may generate a sound by using the right region ofthe display panel 110 as a vibration plate.

According to an embodiment, the vibration generating device 200 may bedisposed in a region adjacent to an edge of the display module 100. Indetail, a vibration having a low frequency domain generated by the soundgenerating module 210 may be rectilinearly transferred through thebacklight unit 120, the gap space 130S between the display panel 110 andthe backlight unit 120, and the display panel 110, and thus, a soundhaving the low frequency domain may be output to a region in front ofthe display panel 110. Also, a vibration having a high frequency domaingenerated by the vibration generating device 200 may be sequentiallytransferred to an edge of the backlight unit 120, the module adhesivemember 130, and the display panel 110, and thus, a sound having the highfrequency domain may be output to the region in front of the displaypanel 110. Therefore, the vibration having the low frequency domain maybe preferentially transferred to the gap space 130S between the displaypanel 110 and the backlight unit 120, but the vibration having the highfrequency domain may be preferentially transferred to the moduleadhesive member 130 through the edge of the backlight unit 120. In thismanner, if the sound generating module 210 is spaced apart from the edgeof the display module 100 by a long distance, a vibration transmissionpath corresponding to the high frequency domain may extend, and thus, asound pressure level corresponding to the high frequency domain isreduced. Therefore, the sound generating module 210 may be disposed in aregion adjacent to the edge of the display module 100, and thus, alength of a vibration transmission path corresponding to the highfrequency domain may be minimized, thereby preventing a sound pressurelevel corresponding to the high frequency domain from being reduced. Asa result, if the vibration generating device 200 is disposed in theregion adjacent to the edge of the display module 100, the displayapparatus 10 may output a sound where a sound pressure levelcorresponding to the high frequency domain is high, in comparison with acase where the vibration generating device 200 is spaced apart from theedge of the display module 100 by a long distance.

According to an embodiment, the vibration generating device 200 may bedisposed to ensure a degree of freedom in design of the displayapparatus 10 without any reduction in stiffness of the rear structure300 and to minimize a length of the vibration transmission pathcorresponding to the high frequency domain. In detail, the vibrationgenerating device 200 may be inserted into the through hole 310 of therear structure 300, and a position of the through hole 310 may be set soas not to decrease the stiffness of the rear structure 300. In thiscase, if the through hole 310 of the rear structure 300 is very adjacentto the adhesive member 500, the stiffness of the rear structure 300 isreduced, and for this reason, the through hole 310 may not fully overlapthe edge of the display module 100. Also, if the through hole 310 isdisposed in the edge of the display module 100 so as to be exposed atone side of the display apparatus 10, a degree of freedom in design ofthe display apparatus 10 is reduced. Therefore, the through hole 310 maybe disposed adjacent to the edge of the display module 100 within arange which enables the stiffness of the rear structure 300 not to bereduced. Also, the vibration generating device 200 may be disposed so asnot to be exposed at one side of the display apparatus 10, therebyenhancing a degree of freedom in design of the display apparatus 10. Asa result, the vibration generating device 200 may be disposed based on aposition of the through hole 310 so as to ensure a degree of freedom indesign of the display apparatus 10 without any reduction in stiffness ofthe rear structure 300 and to minimize the length of the vibrationtransmission path corresponding to the high frequency domain.

According to an embodiment, the vibration generating device 200 may be aspeaker, and for example, may be a sound actuator, a sound exciter, or apiezoelectric element, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments,the vibration generating device 200 may be a sound device for outputtinga sound according an electrical signal.

The rear structure 300 may surround the rear surface 120 b of thebacklight unit 120. In detail, the rear structure 300 may cover thewhole rear surface of the backlight unit 120 so as to be spaced apartfrom the whole rear surface and may have a plate shape formed of aglass, a metal material, or a plastic material. Here, an edge or a sharpcorner of the rear structure 300 may have a tetragonal shape or a curvedshape through a chamfer process or a corner rounding process. Accordingto an embodiment, the rear structure 300 including the glass materialmay include sapphire glass. For example, the rear structure 300including the metal material may be formed of one of aluminum (Al), anAl alloy, a magnesium (Mg) alloy, and an iron (Fe)-nickel (Ni) alloy. Asanother example, the rear structure 300 may have a stacked structureincluding a glass plate, which has a thickness relatively thinner than ametal plate and a glass plate and faces the rear surface of thebacklight unit 120, and in this case, a rear surface of the displayapparatus 10 may be used as a mirror surface due to the metal plate.

The rear structure 300 may include the through hole 310 into which thevibration generating device 200 is inserted. In detail, in order for thevibration generating device 200 to be inserted into the through hole310, a boring part having a circular shape or a polygonal shape may beprovided in a partial region of the rear structure 300 along a thicknessdirection of the rear structure 300. According to an embodiment, thethrough hole 310 cannot fully overlap the edge of the display module 100so as to maintain a stiffness of the rear structure 300 and areliability of the display apparatus 10, but the vibration generatingdevice 200 may be disposed adjacent to the edge of the display module100 within a range which enables a stiffness of the rear structure 300to be maintained.

The stiff member 400 may be disposed on the rear surface of the displaymodule 100 and may overlap at least one edge of the display module 100.According to an embodiment, the stiffness member 400 may include a firststiff member 410 disposed in a pair of edges of the display module 100.In detail, the display module 100 may include a pair of first edgesparallel to a first direction X and a pair of second edges parallel to asecond direction Y intersecting the first direction X. Here, the pair offirst edges of the display module 100 may correspond to an edge parallelto a long side of the display module 100, and the pair of second edgesmay correspond to an edge parallel to a short side of the display module100. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Also, thefirst stiff member 410 may be disposed in parallel with the pair offirst edges of the display module 100. For example, the first stiffmember 410 may be disposed on the rear surface of the backlight unit 120along a long side lengthwise direction X of the backlight unit 120.Here, since the first stiff member 410 is disposed along the long sidelengthwise direction X of the backlight unit 120, the stiffness of thedisplay module 100 is complemented, thereby improving an electromagneticforce performance of the vibration generating device 200.

According to an embodiment, the stiff member 400 may be disposed inparallel with the adhesive member 500. In detail, the display module 100may include a pair of first edges parallel to the first direction X anda pair of second edges parallel to the second direction Y intersectingthe first direction X. Here, the pair of first edges of the displaymodule 100 may correspond to a long side edge of the display module 100,and the pair of second edges may correspond to a short side edge of thedisplay module 100. However, the present embodiment is not limitedthereto. Also, the adhesive member 500 may include a first adhesivemember 510 disposed in the pair of first edges of the display module 100and a second adhesive member 520 disposed in the pair of second edges ofthe display module 100. Therefore, the first stiff member 410 may bedisposed on the rear surface of the backlight unit 120 in parallel withthe first adhesive member 510. For example, both ends of the first stiffmember 410 may contact the second adhesive member 520 disposed in thepair of second edges. As another example, the both ends of the firststiff member 410 may be spaced apart from the second adhesive member 520disposed in the pair of second edges. Also, the first stiff member 410may contact an inner surface of the first adhesive member 510, but isnot limited thereto. As a result, the first stiff member 410 and thefirst adhesive member 510 may be disposed in parallel along the longside lengthwise direction X of the backlight unit 120, and thus, thestiffness of the display module 100 is more complemented than a weightincrease rate of the display module 100, thereby improving theelectromagnetic force performance of the vibration generating device200.

According to an embodiment, the stiff member 400 may be disposed on arear edge of the display module 100, and thus, enhances anelectromagnetic force (for example, Lorentz force) of the vibrationgenerating device 200, thereby preventing a sound pressure levelcorresponding to the high frequency domain from being reduced. Here, aresonant frequency “f₀” of a vibration generated by the vibrationgenerating device 200 may be determined as expressed in the followingequation:

$f_{0} = {\frac{1}{2\;\pi}\sqrt{\frac{k}{m}}}$where k denotes a stiffness of an object, m denotes a mass of theobject. For example, the vibration generating device 200 may increasethe stiffness “k” of the object or may decrease the mass “k” accordingto the equation, thereby enhancing a vibration characteristiccorresponding to the high frequency domain. As another example, thevibration generating device 200 may increase the mass “m” of the object,and simultaneously, may more increase the stiffness “k” of the objectthan an increase rate of the mass “m”, thereby enhancing the vibrationcharacteristic corresponding to the high frequency domain. Accordingly,in the display apparatus 10, since the stiff member 400 is disposed onthe rear edge of the display module 100, an increase in the mass “m” ofthe display module 100 acting as a vibration plate is minimized, and thestiffness “k” of the display module 100 is complemented. As a result,the display apparatus 10 enhances the electromagnetic force of thevibration generating device 200 acting on the display module 100, andthus, prevents a sound pressure level corresponding to the highfrequency domain from being reduced, thereby enhancing flatness of asound pressure level corresponding to a whole frequency domain andenhancing clarity of a sound.

In FIG. 3A, the stiff member 400 may be spaced apart from the frontsurface of the rear structure 300. In detail, the stiff member 400 andthe adhesive member 500 may be disposed in parallel on the rear surfaceof the display module 100, but a thickness of the stiff member 400 maydiffer from that of the adhesive member 500. For example, the thicknessof the stiff member 400 may be set thinner than that of the adhesivemember 500, and thus, a rea surface of the stiff member 400 may bespaced apart from the front surface of the rear structure 300. Here, thestiff member 400 and the adhesive member 500 may be formed of differentmaterials, and the stiff member 400 may include a material having avibration transfer characteristic higher than that of the adhesivemember 500. Accordingly, the stiff member 400 may be spaced apart fromthe rear structure 300, thereby preventing a vibration of the displaymodule 100 from being transferred to the rear structure 300.

In FIG. 3B, the stiff member 400 may contact the front surface of therear structure 300. In detail, the stiff member 400 and the adhesivemember 500 may be disposed in parallel on the rear surface of thedisplay module 100, and the thickness of the stiff member 400 may be thesame as that of the adhesive member 500. For example, the thickness ofthe stiff member 400 may be set equal to that of the adhesive member500, and thus, the rea surface of the stiff member 400 may contact thefront surface of the rear structure 300. Here, the stiff member 400 mayinclude a material which is higher in stiffness than the adhesive member500. Accordingly, a vibration displacement of an edge of the displaymodule 100 may be reduced by the stiff member 400 fixed between thedisplay module 100 and the rear structure 300. As a result, in thedisplay apparatus 10, since the stiff member 400 having the samethickness as that of the adhesive member 500 is provided, the vibrationdisplacement of the display module 100 is reduced in comparison with acase where only the adhesive member 500 is provided in the edge of thedisplay module 100, thereby enhancing a vibration transfercharacteristic of the display panel 110 corresponding to the highfrequency domain.

According to an embodiment, the stiff member 400 may include a materialhaving high stiffness, and thus, enhances the vibration transfercharacteristic of the display module 100 acting as a vibration plate.For example, the stiff member 400 may include metal such as Al, copper(Cu), or stainless steel having an excellent vibration transfercharacteristic, or may include a tempered plastic compound. Therefore,the stiff member 400 may more increase stiffness than a weight increaserate of the display module 100, thereby enhancing the electromagneticforce of the vibration generating device 200 acting on the displaymodule 100 and preventing a sound pressure level, output to the regionin front of the display panel 110, from being reduced. Also, the stiffmember 400 may be implemented to have an excellent vibration transfercharacteristic corresponding to the high frequency domain, therebyenhancing flatness of a sound pressure level corresponding to a wholefrequency domain.

According to an embodiment, the stiff member 400 may include a materialwhich is higher in stiffness than the adhesive member 500. For example,the adhesive member 500 may include an optically clear resin (OCR), anoptically clear adhesive (OCA) film, or a foam pad including anacryl-based material. The stiff member 400 may include metal such as Al,copper (Cu), or stainless steel having an excellent vibration transfercharacteristic, or may include a tempered plastic compound. Accordingly,the stiff member 400 complements the stiffness of the display module100, and the adhesive member 500 may attach the display module 100 onthe rear structure 300 and may prevent light from being leaked.

The adhesive member 500 may be disposed between the edge of the displaymodule 100 and an edge of the rear structure 300 and may attach thedisplay module 100 on the rear structure 300. In detail, the adhesivemember 500 may be disposed between the backlight unit 120 and the rearstructure 300 to have a certain thickness (or height) and may have asealing structure having a four-side-sealed type or a closed loop type.The adhesive member 500 may be provided between a rear edge of thebacklight unit 120 and a front edge of the rear structure 300 and maycouple the rear structure 300 to the rear surface of the backlight unit120, thereby a gap space 500S between the rear surface of the backlightunit 120 and the front surface of the rear structure 300. Here, the gapspace 500S may be used as a space, where the stiff member 400 isdisposed, and a space which enables a vibration of each of the rearstructure 300 and the backlight unit 120 based on driving of thevibration generating device 200. Also, the gap space 500S providedbetween the backlight unit 120 and the rear structure 300 prevents thelight of the backlight unit 120 from non-uniformly concentrating on aspecific position, thereby enhancing the light luminance uniformity ofthe display apparatus 10.

According to an embodiment, the adhesive member 500 may include a foampad including an acryl-based material and an adhesive layer provided oneach of a front surface and a rear surface of the foam pad.

According to an embodiment, the adhesive member 500 may include an OCR,an OCA film, a double-sided tape, and/or the like.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a secondembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6 is a perspective viewillustrating a configuration of a stiff member in the display apparatusof FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the display panel 110 may include a leftregion, a right region, and a middle region, and the vibrationgenerating device 200 may include first to third sound generatingmodules 210 to 230 for vibrating different regions of the display panel110. According to an embodiment, the first sound generating module 210may overlap the left region of the display module 100, the second soundgenerating module 220 may overlap the right region of the display module100, and the third sound generating module 230 may overlap the middleregion of the display module 100.

According to an embodiment, each of the first and second soundgenerating modules 210 and 220 may transfer a vibration having the highfrequency domain to both side edges of the display module 100, and thethird sound generating module 230 may transfer a vibration having thelow frequency domain to the middle region of the display module 100. Forexample, a vibration having the high frequency domain generated by eachof the first and second sound generating modules 210 and 220 may besequentially transferred to an edge of the backlight unit 120, themodule adhesive member 130, and the display panel 110, and thus, a soundhaving the high frequency domain may be output to a region in front ofthe display panel 110. Also, a vibration having the low frequency domaingenerated by the third sound generating module 230 may be sequentiallytransferred to the backlight unit 120, the gap space 130S between thedisplay panel 110 and the backlight unit 120, and the display panel 110,and thus, a sound having the low frequency domain may be output to theregion in front of the display panel 110. Therefore, the vibrationgenerating device 200 may transfer the vibration having the highfrequency domain, generated by each of the first and second soundgenerating modules 210 and 220, to the edge of the display module 100and may transfer the vibration having the low frequency domain,generated by the third sound generating module 230, to the middle regionof the display module 100, thereby preventing a sound pressure levelcorresponding to each of the high frequency domain and the low highfrequency from being reduced and enhancing flatness of a sound pressurelevel corresponding to a whole frequency domain to enhance clarity of asound.

A stiff member 400 may include a first stiff member 410 and a secondstiff member 420. In detail, the display module 100 may include a pairof first edges parallel to a first direction X and a pair of secondedges parallel to a second direction Y intersecting the first directionX. Here, the pair of first edges of the display module 100 maycorrespond to an edge parallel to a long side of the display module 100,and the pair of second edges may correspond to an edge parallel to ashort side of the display module 100. However, the present embodiment isnot limited thereto. Also, the first stiff member 410 may be disposed inparallel with the pair of first edges of the display module 100, and thesecond stiff member 420 may be disposed in parallel with the pair ofsecond edges of the display module 100. For example, the first stiffmember 410 may be disposed on the rear surface of the backlight unit 120along the long side lengthwise direction X of the backlight unit 120,and the second stiff member 420 may be disposed on the rear surface ofthe backlight unit 120 along a short side lengthwise direction Y of thebacklight unit 120. Therefore, since each of the first and second stiffmembers 410 and 420 is disposed along the long side lengthwise directionX or the short side lengthwise direction Y of the backlight unit 120,the stiffness of the display module 100 is complemented, therebyimproving the electromagnetic force performance of the vibrationgenerating device 200.

According to an embodiment, the stiff member 400 may be disposed inparallel with the adhesive member 500. In detail, the stiff member 400may include the first stiff member 410 and the second stiff member 420.The first stiff member 410 may be disposed in parallel with a pair offirst edges of the display module 100, and the second stiff member 420may be disposed in parallel with a pair of second edges of the displaymodule 100. Here, the pair of first edges of the display module 100 maycorrespond to the long side edge of the display module 100, and the pairof second edges may correspond to the short side edge of the displaymodule 100. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto.Also, the adhesive member 500 may include a first adhesive member 510disposed in the pair of first edges of the display module 100 and asecond adhesive member 520 disposed in the pair of second edges of thedisplay module 100. Therefore, the first stiff member 410 may bedisposed on the rear surface of the backlight unit 120 in parallel withthe first adhesive member 510. Therefore, the first stiff member 410 maybe disposed on the rear surface of the display module 100 in parallelwith the first adhesive member 510, and the second stiff member 420 maybe disposed on the rear surface of the display module 100 in parallelwith the second adhesive member 520. For example, both ends of the firststiff member 410 may contact the second adhesive member 520 disposed inthe pair of second edges, and both ends of the second stiff member 420may contact the first adhesive member 510 disposed in the pair of firstedges. As another example, the both ends of the first stiff member 410may be spaced apart from the second adhesive member 520 disposed in thepair of second edges, and the both ends of the second stiff member 420may be spaced apart from the first adhesive member 510 disposed in thepair of first edges. Also, the first stiff member 410 may contact aninner surface of the first adhesive member 510, and the second stiffmember 420 may contact an inner surface of the second adhesive member520. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. As aresult, the first stiff member 410 and the first adhesive member 510 maybe disposed in parallel along the long side lengthwise direction X ofthe backlight unit 120, and the second stiff member 420 and the secondadhesive member 520 may be disposed in parallel along the short sidelengthwise direction Y of the backlight unit 120, thereby morecomplementing the stiffness of the display module 100 than a weightincrease rate of the display module 100 to improve the electromagneticforce performance of the vibration generating device 200.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a thirdembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8 is a perspective viewillustrating a configuration of a stiff member in the display apparatusof FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a stiff member 400 may include a first stiffmember 410 and a third stiff member 430. In detail, the display module100 may include a pair of first edges parallel to a first direction Xand a pair of second edges parallel to a second direction Y intersectingthe first direction X. Here, the pair of first edges of the displaymodule 100 may correspond to an edge parallel to a long side of thedisplay module 100, and the pair of second edges may correspond to anedge parallel to a short side of the display module 100. However, thepresent embodiment is not limited thereto. Also, the first stiff member410 may be disposed in parallel with the pair of first edges of thedisplay module 100, and the third stiff member 430 may be disposed inparallel with the pair of second edges of the display module 100 tooverlap a center of the display module 100. For example, the first stiffmember 410 may be disposed on the rear surface of the backlight unit 120along the long side lengthwise direction X of the backlight unit 120,and the third stiff member 430 may be disposed along the short sidelengthwise direction Y of the backlight unit 120 to pass through acenter of the rear surface of the backlight unit 120. In other words,the stiff member 400 may be provided in an H-shape on the rear surfaceof the backlight unit 120. Therefore, since each of the first and thirdstiff members 410 and 430 is disposed along the long side lengthwisedirection X or the short side lengthwise direction Y of the backlightunit 120, the stiffness of the display module 100 is complemented,thereby improving the electromagnetic force performance of the vibrationgenerating device 200.

According to an embodiment, the stiff member 400 may be disposed inparallel with the adhesive member 500. In detail, the stiff member 400may include the first stiff member 410 and the third stiff member 430.The first stiff member 410 may be disposed in parallel with a pair offirst edges of the display module 100, and the third stiff member 430may be disposed in parallel with a second direction Y to overlap thecenter of the display module 100. For example, the first stiff member410 may be disposed in a pair of long side edges of the display module100, and the third stiff member 430 may be spaced apart from a pair ofshort side edges of the display module 100 and may cross the center ofthe display module 100. However, the present embodiment is not limitedthereto. Also, the adhesive member 500 may include a first adhesivemember 510 disposed in the pair of first edges of the display module 100and a second adhesive member 520 disposed in a pair of second edges ofthe display module 100. Therefore, the first stiff member 410 may bedisposed on the rear surface of the display module 100 in parallel withthe first adhesive member 510, and the third stiff member 430 may bedisposed on the rear surface of the display module 100 and may be spacedapart from the second adhesive member 520. In other words, the stiffmember 400 may be provided in an H-shape on the rear surface of thebacklight unit 120. For example, both ends of the first stiff member 410may contact the second adhesive member 520 disposed in the pair ofsecond edges, and both ends of the third stiff member 430 may contact acenter of the first adhesive member 510. As another example, the bothends of the first stiff member 410 may be spaced apart from the secondadhesive member 520 disposed in the pair of second edges, and the bothends of the third stiff member 430 may be spaced apart from a center ofthe first adhesive member 510. Also, the first stiff member 410 maycontact an inner surface of the first adhesive member 510, but is notlimited thereto. As a result, the first stiff member 410 and the firstadhesive member 510 may be disposed in parallel along the long sidelengthwise direction X of the backlight unit 120, and the third stiffmember 430 and the second adhesive member 520 may be disposed inparallel along the short side lengthwise direction Y of the backlightunit 120 and may be spaced apart from each other, thereby morecomplementing the stiffness of the display module 100 than a weightincrease rate of the display module 100 to improve the electromagneticforce performance of the vibration generating device 200.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a display apparatus according to a fourthembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectionalview taken along line II-IF of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a display module 100 may include a pair offirst edges parallel to a first direction X and a pair of second edgesparallel to a second direction Y intersecting the first direction X.Here, the pair of first edges of the display module 100 may correspondto an edge parallel to a long side of the display module 100, and thepair of second edges may correspond to an edge parallel to a short sideof the display module 100. However, the present embodiment is notlimited thereto. Also, an adhesive member 500 may include a firstadhesive member 510 disposed in the pair of first edges of the displaymodule 100 and a second adhesive member 520 disposed in the pair ofsecond edges of the display module 100.

A stiff member 400 may include a first stiff member 410 disposed betweenthe display module 100 and the first adhesive member 510. For example,the first stiff member 410 may be provided between a rear surface of abacklight unit 120 and a front surface of the first adhesive member 510and may be disposed along a long side lengthwise direction X of thebacklight unit 120. Accordingly, since the first stiff member 410 isdisposed along the long side lengthwise direction X of the backlightunit 120, the stiffness of the display module 100 is complemented,thereby improving the electromagnetic force performance of a vibrationgenerating device 200.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views taken along line of FIG. 9,and FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views illustrating a configurationof a stiff member in the display apparatus of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 12A, an adhesive member 500 may include afirst adhesive member 510 disposed in a pair of first edges of a displaymodule 100 and a second adhesive member 520 disposed in a pair of secondedges of the display module 100. Here, a first stiff member 410 and thefirst adhesive member 510 may be disposed in a pair of first edgesbetween the display module 100 and a rear structure 300 to overlap eachother, and only the second adhesive member 520 may be disposed in a pairof second edges between the display module 100 and the rear structure300. Therefore, a height of a gap space 500S between a rear surface of abacklight unit 120 and a front surface of the rear structure 300 may beequal to a sum of a height of the first stiff member 410 and a height ofthe first adhesive member 510 and may be equal to a height of the secondadhesive member 520. In other words, the height of the second adhesivemember 520 may correspond to the sum of the height of the first stiffmember 410 and the height of the first adhesive member 510. Also, thefirst stiff member 410 may be disposed to overlap the first adhesivemember 510, and thus, may be disposed in an outermost edge of thedisplay module 100. For example, if the first stiff member 410 isdisposed to overlap the first adhesive member 510, the first stiffmember 410 may be disposed more outward from the display module 100 thana case where the first stiff member 410 is disposed in parallel with thefirst adhesive member 510. As a result, since the first stiff member 410is disposed to overlap the first adhesive member 510, the stiffness ofthe display module 100 is more complemented than a case where the firststiff member 410 is disposed in parallel with the first adhesive member510, thereby outputting a sound having a high sound pressure levelcorresponding to the high frequency domain. Also, the second adhesivemember 520 may be disposed on both side surfaces of the gap space 500Sbetween the rear surface of the backlight unit 120 and the front surfaceof the rear structure 300, thereby preventing light from being leaked tothe outside of the display apparatus 10.

Referring to FIGS. 11B and 12B, a stiff member 400 may include the firststiff member 410 disposed in parallel with the pair of first edges ofthe display module 100 and a second stiff member 420 disposed inparallel with the pair of second edges of the display module 100. Also,the adhesive member 500 may include the first adhesive member 510disposed in the pair of first edges of the display module 100 and thesecond adhesive member 520 disposed in the pair of second edges of thedisplay module 100. Here, the first stiff member 410 and the firstadhesive member 510 may be disposed in the pair of first edges betweenthe display module 100 and the rear structure 300 to overlap each other,and the second stiff member 420 and the second adhesive member 520 maybe disposed in the pair of second edges between the display module 100and the rear structure 300 to overlap each other. Therefore, a height ofthe gap space 500S between the rear surface of the backlight unit 120and the front surface of the rear structure 300 may be equal to the sumof the height of the first stiff member 410 and the height of the firstadhesive member 510 and may be equal to a sum of a height of the secondstiff member 420 and the height of the second adhesive member 520. Inother words, the sum of the height of the first stiff member 410 and theheight of the first adhesive member 510 may be equal to the sum of theheight of the second stiff member 420 and the height of the secondadhesive member 520. Also, the first and second stiff members 410 and420 may be disposed to respectively overlap the first and secondadhesive members 510 and 520, and thus, may be disposed in the outermostedge of the display module 100. For example, if the first stiff member410 is disposed to overlap the first adhesive member 510, the firststiff member 410 may be disposed more outward from the display module100 than a case where the first stiff member 410 is disposed in parallelwith the first adhesive member 510. As a result, since the first andsecond stiff members 410 and 420 are disposed to respectively overlapthe first and second adhesive members 510 and 520, the stiffness of thedisplay module 100 is more complemented than a case where first andsecond stiff members 410 and 420 are respectively disposed in parallelwith the first and second adhesive members 510 and 520, therebyoutputting a sound having a high sound pressure level corresponding tothe high frequency domain.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a vibration displacementbased on a stiffness of a display module in a display apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In detail, FIG.13A illustrates a rear view and a side view of a related art vibrationgenerating device and display module including no stiff member, and FIG.13B illustrates a rear view and a side view of a display module 100 anda vibration generating device 200 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, in a display apparatus according to thepresent disclosure, a stiff member 400 may be disposed on a rear edge ofthe display module 100, and thus, enhances an electromagnetic force ofthe vibration generating device 200 in comparison with the related artdisplay module including no stiff member, thereby preventing a soundpressure level corresponding to the high frequency domain from beingreduced. In detail, the display module 100 according to the presentdisclosure may include first and second stiff members 410 and 420disposed a rear surface thereof, and thus, may have stiffness which isstronger than that of the related art display module. Here, a resonantfrequency “f₀” of a vibration generated by the vibration generatingdevice 200 may be determined as expressed in the following equation:

$f_{0} = {\frac{1}{2\;\pi}\sqrt{\frac{k}{m}}}$where k denotes a stiffness of an object, m denotes a mass of theobject. For example, if the first and second stiff members 410 and 420are disposed in a pair of first and second edges of the display module100, the mass “m” of the display module 100 acting as a vibration plateincreases, and simultaneously, the stiffness “k” of the display module100 increases more than an increase rate of the mass “m”, therebyenhancing a vibration characteristic corresponding to the high frequencydomain. Accordingly, in the display apparatus 10, since the stiff member400 is disposed on the rear edge of the display module 100, an increasein the mass “m” of the display module 100 acting as a vibration plate isminimized, and the stiffness “k” of the display module 100 iscomplemented.

For example, a display module of a related art display apparatus islower in stiffness than the display module of the display apparatus 10according to the present disclosure, and thus, a vibration displacementd1 of the display module acting as a vibration plate increases, and theresonant frequency “f₁” of the display module decreases. Therefore, inthe related art display apparatus, since the resonant frequency “f₁” ofthe display module is reduced, it is unable to prevent a sound pressurelevel corresponding to the high frequency domain from being reduced.

On the other hand, in the display apparatus 10 according to the presentdisclosure, the stiff member 400 may be provided in the rear edge of thedisplay module 100, and thus, in comparison with the related art displayapparatus, the stiffness of the display module 100 is reinforced, and avibration displacement d2 of the display module acting as a vibrationplate is reduced, thereby increasing the resonant frequency “f₀” of thedisplay module. Therefore, in the display apparatus 10 according to thepresent disclosure, the resonant frequency “f₀” of the display moduleincreases, thereby preventing a sound pressure level corresponding tothe high frequency domain from being reduced. As a result, the displayapparatus 10 according to the present disclosure enhances theelectromagnetic force of the vibration generating device 200 acting onthe display module 100, and thus, prevents a sound pressure levelcorresponding to the high frequency domain from being reduced, therebyenhancing flatness of a sound pressure level corresponding to a wholefrequency domain and enhancing clarity of a sound.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an increase in a sound pressure levelcorresponding to a high frequency domain in a display apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure with respect to therelated art. In detail, a first structure (Structure 1) corresponds tothe display apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure, and a second structure (Structure 2) corresponds tothe related art display apparatus which does not include a stiff member.Also, it is assumed that the first and second structures include thesame elements, except for a stiff member.

Referring to FIG. 14, the related art display apparatus (Structure 2)shows the noticeable reduction in a sound pressure level SPL in a highfrequency domain of 2 kHz or more. It can be seen that such a result isbecause a stiffness of a display module is low, and due to this, avibration transfer characteristic is reduced, causing attenuation of avibration having the high frequency domain. However, it can be seen thatin the display apparatus (Structure 1) according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the reduction in the sound pressure level SPL in thehigh frequency domain of 2 kHz or more is reduced in comparison with therelated art display apparatus (Structure 2). It can be seen that such aresult is because the stiff member 400 is attached on the rear edge ofthe display module 100, and thus, the stiffness of the display module100 acting as a vibration plate increases, thereby enhancing a vibrationtransfer characteristic of the display module 100. Also, it can be seenthat the result is because the stiff member 400 decreases the vibrationdisplacement of the display module to minimize attenuation of avibration having the high frequency domain.

Therefore, it can be seen that in the display apparatus (Structure 1)according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, flatness of thesound pressure level SPL corresponding to a whole frequency domain ismore noticeably enhanced than the related art display apparatus(Structure 2). Accordingly, in the display apparatus (Structure 1)according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the stiff member400 enhances a transfer characteristic of a vibration generated by thesound generating device 200, thereby preventing a sound pressure levelcorresponding to the high frequency domain from being reduced andenhancing flatness of a sound pressure level corresponding to a wholefrequency domain to enhance clarity of a sound.

As described above, according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the display apparatus may output a sound to a region infront of the display panel. Accordingly, a position of an imagedisplayed by the display apparatus may match a position of a soundgenerated by the display apparatus, thereby enhancing an immersivenessof a viewer who is watching the image displayed by the displayapparatus.

Moreover, in the display apparatus according to the embodiments of thepresent disclosure, since the stiff member is disposed on the rearsurface of the display module acting as a vibration plate, a stiffnessof the display module is complemented, thereby improving theelectromagnetic force performance of the vibration generating device.

Moreover, in the display apparatus according to the embodiments of thepresent disclosure, since the stiff member is disposed in the rear edgeof the display module, an increase in mass of the display module actingas a vibration plate is minimized, and the stiffness of the displaymodule is complemented, thereby improving the electromagnetic forceperformance of the vibration generating device to enhance the vibrationtransfer characteristic of the display apparatus.

Moreover, in the display apparatus according to the embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the stiffness of the display module is complementedby using the stiff member, and thus, the electromagnetic forceperformance of the vibration generating device is improved, therebypreventing a reduction in a sound pressure level corresponding to thehigh frequency domain to enhance the quality of a sound output to aregion in front of the display module.

Moreover, since the display apparatus according to the embodiments ofthe present disclosure includes the stiff member arranged in the longside direction of the display module, a sound pressure levelcorresponding to the high frequency domain is prevented from beingreduced, thereby enhancing flatness of a sound pressure levelcorresponding to a whole frequency domain and enhancing clarity of asound.

Moreover, the display apparatus according to the embodiments of thepresent disclosure prevents a sound pressure level corresponding to thehigh frequency domain from being reduced, thereby minimizing the loss ofconsumption power.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in display device of thepresent disclosure without departing from the technical idea or scope ofthe disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure coversthe modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they comewithin the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus, comprising: a display panelconfigured to display an image; a rear structure on a rear surface ofthe display panel; a vibration generating device configured to vibratethe display panel; an adhesive member disposed between the rear surfaceof the display panel and the rear structure; and a reinforcement memberdisposed between the rear surface of the display panel and the rearstructure, the reinforcement member being higher in stiffness than theadhesive member, the reinforcement member including a material having avibration transfer characteristic higher than that of the adhesivemember, wherein the reinforcement member overlaps at least in part ofthe display panel, and wherein the reinforcement member comprisesaluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or stainless steel, or a tempered plasticcompound.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reinforcementmember is disposed in a long-side lengthwise direction of the displaypanel.
 3. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the display panelcomprises: a pair of first parts parallel to a first direction; and apair of second parts parallel to a second direction; and the adhesivemember comprises: a first adhesive member disposed in the pair of firstparts; and a second adhesive member disposed in the pair of secondparts.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the reinforcementmember comprises a first reinforcement member disposed in parallel withthe first adhesive member.
 5. The display apparatus of claim 4, whereinthe reinforcement member further comprises a second reinforcement memberdisposed in parallel with the second adhesive member.
 6. The displayapparatus of claim 4, wherein the reinforcement member further comprisesa third reinforcement member disposed in parallel with the seconddirection to overlap a center of the display panel.
 7. The displayapparatus of claim 3, wherein the reinforcement member comprises a firstreinforcement member disposed between the display panel and the firstadhesive member.
 8. The display apparatus of claim 7, wherein thereinforcement member comprises a second reinforcement member disposedbetween the display panel and the second adhesive member.
 9. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member contacts a frontsurface of the rear structure.
 10. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the reinforcement member is spaced apart from a front surface ofthe rear structure.
 11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein: thedisplay panel comprises a first region, a second region, and a thirdregion; and the vibration generating device comprises: a first soundgenerating module overlapping the first region; a second soundgenerating module overlapping the second region; and a third soundgenerating module overlapping the third region.
 12. The displayapparatus of claim 11, wherein: the first and second sound generatingmodules transfer a vibration having a high frequency domain to a firstpart and a second part of the display panel; and the third soundgenerating module transfers a vibration having a low frequency domain tothe third region of the display panel.
 13. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a backlight unit disposed on the rearsurface of the display panel.
 14. The display apparatus of claim 13,further comprising a module adhesive member disposed between an part ofthe display panel and an part of the backlight unit.
 15. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member has a samethickness as the adhesive member.
 16. A display apparatus, comprising: adisplay panel configured to display an image; a rear structure on a rearsurface of the display panel; a vibration generating device configuredto vibrate the display panel; an adhesive member disposed between therear surface of the display panel and the rear structure; and areinforcement member disposed between the rear surface of the displaypanel and the rear structure, the reinforcement member being higher instiffness than the adhesive member, the reinforcement member including amaterial having a vibration transfer characteristic higher than that ofthe adhesive member, wherein the adhesive member has a sealing structurehaving a four-side-sealed type or a closed loop type, wherein thereinforcement member comprises aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or stainlesssteel, or a tempered plastic compound.